How Often You Should Wear Your Clothes Before Washing,According to Rachel Zoe

When you're as clothes-crazed as Rachel Zoe,your love extends way beyond just shopping and getting dressed.The super stylist teamed with Downy and Tide for some in-depth education on laundry tips and tricks and was happy to share some key pointers,along with tidbits that you could pick up only living the Zoe life (think a super-savvy stain-removal hack and a well-thought-out stance on when exactly clothes should be tossed in the hamper).Glamour: We hear you're going to laundry college in the fall?How cool is that?Rachel Zoe: It's not technically laundry college,but P&G [Procter & Gamble,which owns Downy and Tide] headquarters where it all goes down.They dissect and test all these different fabrics,and I'm going because I personally want to learn more than I already know about the process of taking care of our clothes.Glamour: What was your very first laundry lesson?RZ: To separate!My first instinct was to just throw everything in together and press "on" and literally every white thing I had turned pink,everything basically tie-dyed.It was a mess.But laundry has been very fun for me from a young age.I'm a Virgo,so it

When you're as clothes-crazed asRachel Zoe,your love extends way beyond just shopping and getting dressed.The super stylist teamed with Downy and Tide for some in-depth education onlaundry tips and tricksand was happy to share some key pointers,along with tidbits that you could pick up only living the Zoe life (think a super-savvy stain-removal hack and a well-thought-out stance on when exactly clothes should be tossed in the hamper).

Glamour:We hear you're going to laundry college in the fall?How cool is that?

Rachel Zoe:It's not technically laundry college,but P&G [Procter & Gamble,which owns Downy and Tide] headquarters where it all goes down.They dissect and test all these different fabrics,and I'm going because I personally want to learn more than I already know about the process of taking care of our clothes.

Glamour:What was your very first laundry lesson?

RZ:To separate!My first instinct was to just throw everything in together and press "on" and literally every white thing I had turned pink,everything basically tie-dyed.It was a mess.But laundry has been very fun for me from a young age.I'm a Virgo,so it felt very therapeutic to be in there with the clothes.When I was in college and doing the laundromat,I loved it.It felt very social when we'd hang out by the washing machines.

Glamour:"Dry Clean Only" labels don't always mean something has to be professionally cleaned.How do you decide whether to take it in or do it at home?

RZ:A lot of things that say that can be washed,you just have to care for them differently,with the hand-wash cycle,cold water only,hanging them to dry...things like that.There are things you obviously shouldn't throw into a washing machine—anything beaded,sequined,stuff with metal hardware like buckles.That's where you're getting into trouble.

I used to dry clean my jeans because I didn't want the color to fade or the shape to change,and now I wash them.I realized you can keep the color and the texture.Sometimes they're hung-dry,but sometimes I put them on a very low,ultra-delicate drying cycle and press them with an iron afterward.

RZ:Only if I'm traveling.I use the handwash cycle on my washer a lot because it's a safe place.It can't get any more delicate than that.

Glamour:What's your stance on how often clothes need to be laundered?After every single time they're worn?Less?

RZ:I don't wash them after one time unless you're in a field or a place that's dirty.Anything you travel in on an airplane should be washed immediately,but if you're wearing them around your house all day you probably don't need to wash them that night.Everyone's different though,and to each his own.

Glamour:Are there any mortal laundry sins?

RZ:Don't rush it!You have to spend time on it because if you rush it,you're going to regret it and could definitely hurt something.You don't have to be precious with things like pajamas,towels,workout stuff,but when it's your clothes,treat them with care.They'll last longer.

RZ:Pre-soak or work in a stain remover and let it set.When you're in a restaurant you can put a little sweetener on a stain in an emergency.Don't use sugar,but an artificial sweetener,and use a little dab of club soda to make a paste.Not like a liquid,but very dry paste.I typically take it,rub it on,and leave for a couple of minutes.You can also use it dry.

Good stuff,right?Zoe's stain-fighting trick is a good one for anygrease-based spills,as the powdery stuff helps to soak up extra liquid (it's alsorecommendedfor rogue butter marks).